1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to rural mailboxes and more particularly to a visual signal automatically released to signaling position when the mailbox door is opened thus indicating that mail has been placed therein.
Rural mailboxes are usually located adjacent a road or highway at a considerable distance from the dwelling of the mail recipient. Conventional rural mailboxes are provided with a normally horizontally disposed signal flag element intended to be vertically disposed by the postman when mail has been deposited therein, however, the postman frequently neglects to actuate the signal flag. It is, therefore, desirable that an automatic signal be provided for actuating the signal flag when mail is deposited.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Mailbox signal flags automatically actuated to indicate mail delivery are shown by the prior art but have not come into general use, possibly for the reason that some of these signal devices comprise relatively complicated mechanisms, such as shown by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,551,915; 3,291,386 and 3,498,255 which require more than a minimum of modification of the mailbox when mounting the apparatus on a conventional mailbox.
This invention is distinctive over these patents by providing a housing easily attached to a mailbox and supporting a signal flag with the housing being rotated between a first cocked position and a second signaling position by a spring contained by the housing. The housing is released from a cocked position to a signaling position by a latch released by the mailbox door being opened.